Buddy System
Pick the best running partner to help you go faster, farther, and more often. February 2012 issue of Runner's World
A decade ago three children stood between 37-year-old Jennifer Lonneman and her lastmarathon
. Training solo near her home in a Cincinnati suburb, she couldn't seem to go faster than 10 minutes per mile and wondered if a little company might help. So she started running with a small group. "Every little push, every person who was faster became the invisible rope pulling me along," says Lonneman. A year later she ran a marathon in 3:53. "My partners keep me running smart."
Sports psychologists have known that athletes perform better in groups than alone since possibly the first study of social facilitation among cyclists was published in 1898. Simply put, this study shows athletes will exceed their expectations or personal bests when performing with a group or in front of a group, says Steve Portenga, Ph.D., the University of Denver's director of sports psychology.
"You're more focused, and less distracted by pain when others are watching or running with you," says Portenga, who is also the sports psychologist for USA Track & Field. "The key is to find someone who keeps you focused on your goal."
All runners can benefit from group training. Less experienced striders may find that the accountability a partner provides is what they need to commit to a 5 a.m. run. More motivated runners prize buddies for helping them add miles and shave minutes. To maximize the advantages of this crucial alliance, keep a few principles in mind.
PICK WISELY
Finding others who run isn't hard—strike up a conversation with a runner you frequently see at the park, ask a colleague if you can tag along on his lunchtime workout, or search the listings at a social site likedailymile.com. Finding someone you want to run with again and again is a little trickier. Be prepared to ask—and answer—direct questions about training schedules, as well as short-and long-term goals, says Portenga. (See "For Better...or Worse," below.) You want to know up front if you have common expectations and a similar workout ethic. Do at least two trial runs before you commit to more. You'll know pretty quickly if the other person is positive and reliable.
MAKE PACE A PRIORITY
The big-picture goal doesn't have to be the same for each runner as long as an aspect of the training is shared. For instance, a runner training for a5-Kcould do track work with someone signed up for a 10-K, while a 10-K racer and a marathoner could pair up for short runs, as long as they agree about their preferred pace beforehand. "Pace is even more important than compatibility," says Barbara Walker, Ph.D., a sports psychologist and founder of the consulting firm the Center for Human Performance in Cincinnati. "You aren't going to be happy if you don't run your pace, if you feel too fast or too slow for the group."
AVOID "FRIENDLY" COMPETITIONS
"When you get too competitive, you lose sight of your training program and you deviate from what's ideal for you," says Portenga. "In the end, it can sabotage your performance. If you're going to make a competition out of practice, then you should compete with only yourself." A better use of that time together, he says, may be to help each other through plateaus and work on checking off incremental goals. This is one area where veterans pair well with newbies: Running with a beginner can counter the culture of toughness that can take over between two experienced runners of equal ability. And practiced runners can help newbies stick with it.
COMPARTMENTALIZE
The bond between running partners is unique: It lacks the shifting dynamics of a typical friendship, the baggage of family, and the professional distance of co-workers. "It's like being in therapy," says Lonneman. "The act of running somehow allows the words to flow easily. We share things on our runs that I might not even tell my closest girlfriend. What else are you going to talk about over 20 miles?"
Walker says that maintaining clear boundaries in her running relationships has been essential to her success as a marathon runner and triathlete. "My running partners and I have an agreement that what's said on the trail stays on the trail," she says. "If we're out to dinner, I don't want conversation crossover."
Biochemistry may be what makes these highly compartmentalized relationships so fulfilling. "Your endorphins are flowing, so your guard is down," Walker says. "Cortisol is low, so stress is low. It's this parallel relationship where you aren't even facing each other. There's a rhythm; it's a meditative state."
FEEL better:Training partners can help get you to the starting line, but to be ready for racing solo, run alone once a week to practice pushing yourself.
For Better. . . or Worse, To avoid a Felix and Oscar situation, communication is key
ESTABLISH EXPECTATIONS
Before your first run, discuss your schedules (including duration of workouts and ideal pace) as well as training goals (targeting a race, building endurance). Your answers don't have to match perfectly, but this information will help you plan joint workouts to benefit you both.
DETERMINE COMPATIBILITY
"Similarly competitive runners tend to partner well, even if their training goals differ," says Steve Portenga. Ask potential partners (and yourself): On a scale of 1 to 5, how competitive are you? It's also wise to discuss how each of you will react if the other has to cancel a workout or arrives late.
HAVE AN EXIT STRATEGY
Scheduling conflicts, injuries, or differing rates of improvement can undermine the goals of both runners. If that's the case, be honest and move on. More awkward are the personality issues that can take you out of your zone. These are best dispatched with a polite, but definitive exit.
73% OF RUNNER'S WORLD READERS USUALLY RUN ALONE, JUST 7% RUN WITH A FRIEND, AND 5% RUN WITH A GROUP OF FRIENDS.
New Year, New You'This Year I Will...'
Set a PR, gain confidence, and shake up my routine. Choose one (or more!) of these 12 resolutions to reignite your running and have more fun. By Bob CooperImage by Nick IluzadaFrom the January 2012 issue of Runner's World
Race Further
Rachel Gaffney, 39, a mother of four in Everett, Washington, moved up the race-distance ladder from a 5-K to a 50-K in four years. Now she's a coach who encourages others to step onto the same ladder, even if they only wish to climb a few rungs. "Seeing how far you can go keeps you motivated," she says. "Each time I complete a new distance, I'm reminded there are no limits."
MAKE IT HAPPEN
Gaffney says that if you're looking to up the race-distance ante, gradually boost your mileage for six to 16 weeks to a new plateau. This lets your body adapt to the increased demands on your legs and lungs. Stay on that plateau for an additional four to 10 weeks before tapering for your longest-ever race. It's a safe and solid game plan.
Gaffney notes that you may need to exceed these minimums, and add tempo runs and speedwork, if you have an ambitious time goal. (Use theTraining Calculator tool at runnersworld.com.) But it's safest to set a goal of only finishing in your first attempt at a new, longer distance. After all, it's a guaranteed PR.
5-K TO 10-K:Bump up your training to at least 20 weekly miles in a minimum of three runs, peaking with a long run of six or more miles.
10-K TO HALF-MARATHON:Log at least 30 weekly miles in at least four runs, culminating in a long run of at least 11 miles.
HALF TOMARATHON:The full 26.2 demands at least 40 weekly miles in at least four or five runs. Before tapering, nail one long run of at least 20 miles.
DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY7 (OUT OF 10)
Lose 10 Pounds For Good
Ah, the $400 billion question. That's the net worth of the bloated U.S. diet industry, and what's it get us? Not much, because most diets fail, says Enette Larson-Meyer, Ph.D., R.D., a trail runner who heads the University of Wyoming nutrition and exercise lab. She does say that runners have half theweight-controlpuzzle solved by exercising regularly—but that the other half, eating less, is even more critical. Damn.
"There's no magic bullet," says the sports nutritionist, instead offering a barrage of bite-size tips (below). Adopting even a few can help you shed pounds, and if you stick with them, you won't gain the weight back. But she cautions against overreaching: "Don't set a goal like becoming as thin as a supermodel. That's unrealistic and can even hurt your running, because below a certain weight you'll lose lean muscle and become More susceptible toinjuryor illness."
MAKE IT HAPPEN
It would be nice if you could lose weight by simply running more. But most of us neutralize the 100 or so calories we burn per mile by eating more. "We reward ourselves by thinking, I've earned it," Larson-Meyer says. The key is to reduce calorie intake gradually so that you're dropping just a half-pound to one pound per week. "That's consuming 250 to 500 fewer calories a day, which isn't a lot," she says. "Don't think of it as a diet, because you can't diet forever. Think of it as permanent changes to eating habits that you can maintain." Larson-Meyer's advice:
Include protein in every meal.
A 2010 study found that athletes were more successful losing weight with a diet that was 35 percent protein than one that was 15 percent protein. "Protein preserves lean muscle mass and controls appetite," she says. But it should be lean, such as poultry, fish, lean meats, beans, lentils, soy food, and yogurt.
Eat a meal within an hour after running.
"This aids recovery and makes high-fat snacks less tempting."
Don't skip meals.
Doing so almost always leads to excessive snacking.
Stay hydrated before, during, and after running.
"Some people perceive thirst as hunger, and water dampens hunger." Don't bother with sports beverages except during intense workouts or on runs of 90 minutes or more because you won't need the extra carbs.
Eat food, don't drink it.
Guzzling an eight-ounce glass of apple juice, for example, won't fill you up as much as a large apple. The real deal also has five more grams of fiber and takes longer to finish.
Run from fast food.
A database of people who have lost significant weight and kept it off for at least a year shows that most consume only one fast-food meal per week.
Some "duh" tips you've heard that bear repeating:
Eat only when you're hungry. Eat smaller portions at meals. (See"Small Wonders"for more tips.)
DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY10
Be More Consistent
Ask elite runners for the number one "secret" of their success and the most common response is one word: consistency. "Consistent training promotes the physiological changes which are necessary for better performance, while inconsistent training stresses the body and can lead to injury," says Robert Martin, a San Diego running coach and personal trainer.
MAKE IT HAPPEN
"Start with a reasonable goal, develop a plan, then record your workouts and progress," says Martin. "If that's not enough motivation to not skip workouts, find a coach or a training buddy who can help you keep your feet to the fire, and announce your goals to friends, family, and coworkers." Social media is a good place to declare your running plans, too, whether it's Facebook, Twitter,dailymile.com, or runnersworld.com (Forums or The Loop). If all else fails, for every mile you run reward yourself with $1 toward a trip or something else you desire. Just don't confuse consistency with rigidity. It's okay to skip a run for a legit reason; it's not okay to repeatedly skip them if your reasons are as thin as an Ethiopian marathoner.
DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY6
Try aTriathlon
So you've always figured that training for three sports at once is in the same category as learning to speak Cantonese. (Not in this lifetime!) But you've figured wrong. You can spend as little as a few more hours of weekly training than you now spend running, for only a month or two, and finish a triathlon.
Provided you keep it short—both the training sessions and the triathlon. Short-distance "sprint" triathlons—which have exploded in popularity, now accounting for nearly half of all USA Triathlon-sanctioned events—include a swim of just one-quarter to one-half mile, a bike ride of 10 to 20 miles, and a 5-K.
It doesn't take much time in the saddle and pool to be ready for those distances. And the run will be a cinch—because it comes last in the event, your running base will make it easy for you to sweep past novice striders.
MAKE IT HAPPEN
Add three 30-to 60-minute lap swims and two 30-to 60-minute bike rides each week—while sticking to three 30-to 60-minute runs—for at least four weeks this spring or summer, says Hank Campbell, a runner-turned-pro triathlete who coaches at perform-coaching.com.
"The most common concern among runners new to triathlon is the swim," he says. Take a lesson first to learn an efficient stroke. "Once you can comfortably swim at least 50 percent farther than the race distance in the pool, you can feel confident of completing it on race day."
Scheduling the workouts can include one two-workout day. Also plan to do one weekly "brick" workout in which you do two of those workouts back-to-back—bike-to-run or swim-to-bike—which gets you accustomed to the race-day reality of stringing activities together.
To find a nearby race, go to the event calendar atusatriathlon.org. Most sprints are in the summer, when cycling and swimming are palatable even in heat that makes running a chore. Bonus: Giving your running muscles a partial break means they'll be fresh for harder road-race training in the fall.
DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY8
Win A Medal
Finisher T-shirts are great, but the award that sets you apart from the finishing hordes is the coveted age-group medal. This is the prize you'll proudly display in a prominent spot in your home (if your spouse allows it, that is). But how do you win one—other than, you know, training harder and racing faster? A few "cherry-picking" tactics can be deployed.
MAKE IT HAPPEN
Choose a race that puts you in a five-year rather than a 10-year age division, which doubles the odds of winning something. Compete on weekends when there are multiple races in your area, which scatters the competition. And pick events that aren't well publicized. Peter Cini, a runner in Fairfax, Virginia, also suggests: "Low-turnout races, inaugural races, and races put on by churches or schools often have easy competition and good prizes." See last year's times online.
Cini notes that sometimes these strategies backfire: A slow age-group field with great awards one year is often followed by a stacked field the next year because the word gets out. There is no cakewalk. Just ask Apollo Creed (Rocky) or Goliath how their matches turned out. The only sure way to up your odds of taking home a den-worthy award is to train hard and consistently.
DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY9
Try RealTrail Running
Melody Fairchild had success on the track as America's first high-school girl to break 10 minutes in the two-mile, and then on the roads as a frequent race champion. But one of her favorite surfaces is the trail—twisting, turning, undulating paths, not smooth rail-trails or dirt roads.
"Constantly adjusting your stride to maneuver over rocks and roots forces you to run more on your midfoot and forefoot, which teaches you to run more efficiently," she says. "After a trail run, your muscles feel completely worked because you're going up, down, and sideways. It's the fast track to gaining fitness. Plus, driving to a scenic trail makes it an outing."
MAKE IT HAPPEN
Find nearby trails attrailrunner.com, or ask at a running shop. Fairchild, who leads trail-running camps in Colorado, says to gauge your workout by elapsed time, not distance—otherwise you'll get frustrated because you'll compare your pace to road runs.
Spend enough time off-road and you may want to consider buying trail-specific running shoes, which have better traction and are made of protective material that shields the feet from sharp objects.
Trail races (5-K to 100 miles) are also an option. Train for one to two months on similar terrain to condition your body to the special demands of running off-road.
DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY4
Stop Giving Up
Maybe you've skipped the last 800-meter interval of a track workout, fallen off goal pace at midrace (costing you a PR), or quit a training plan halfway to race day. You hang your head just thinking about it, as if you failed a test.
"Giving up on yourself can make you angry," says Barbara Walker, Ph.D., a sports psychologist and Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon board member. "But make sure the anger is justified. Were your workout or race goals reasonable? Was the training plan too demanding for your stress load? If you're convinced you had no valid excuses, there are a few things you can do the next time."